The Senate Finance Committee approved on Tuesday, May 9, an application to be submitted by WTJX-TV/Channel 12, the territory's public television station, for a $780,542 grant to acquire equipment to convert its analog transmission operations to a digital system. The grant would be three-quarters federally funded with one-quarter matching in local funds.
The Federal Communications Commission has mandated that all Public Broadcasting Service stations must have the capability to carry a digital signal by the year 2003 and must be fully digital by 2006.
According to WTJX general manager Lori Elskoe, the grant application is being submitted to the National Telecommunication and Information Administration under its Public Telecommunications Facilities Program. The grant funds being sought are to cover three types of expenditures — for a transmitter; for an antenna, component parts and transmission line; and for program input and monitoring devices.
Some of the larger flagship stations of the PBS network are now transmitting programs digitally in what is commonly called HDTV, for high-definition television, which has the markedly sharper imagery of a computer monitor, as opposed to the flickering images of a television screen. Elskoe said, "We get the programs and air them, but viewers can't see the difference because we don't have the signal and the community doesn't have the television sets to receive it."
Channel 12 is on target for complying with the 2003 mandate, she said, and "this grant, if we receive it, will assist us with our first phase, which is to purchase a digital transmitter and begin testing."
Digital transmission is line-of-sight and "with our mountainous areas, it will be more of a challenge for us than for some other stations," Elskoe said. As far as reception, "with a digital signal, either you see it or you don't. Repeaters will be needed."
The measure was approved, 6-0. It now goes to the Rules Committee.
